Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Ready Reference: What's Behind That Loose Stone?

A good table should really have some interesting possibilities that are both good and bad. It's with that in mind that I present today's Ready Reference table, "What's Behind That Loose Stone?", with some good and some bad things that fit behind a loose stone found in a dungeon wall. You'll also notice that there are some creatures here; I'm using a simple pattern of defining AC by armor type and giving HD. This should make it easy to convert to your system of choice. Enjoy!

A book. This may be the diary of a long-ago dungeoneer, the rantings of the mad wizard who created the dungeon, or a religious text.

A skeleton. 2 in 6 chance that it is animated.

A passageway to elsewhere in the dungeon. The opening will have to be widened before characters can travel through it.

The stone conceals a hole in the floor. This may be filled with any liquid, animal, monster or anything else that the referee chooses as appropriate to dungeon level.

A small statue, carving or relief of a type appropriate to the dungeon's builder(s). 2 in 6 chance that it will have magical powers.

Ooze, slime or mold. Choose from your favorite source of monsters or generate a glop from Geoffrey McKinney's Dungeon of the Unknown.

A crystalline intelligence (AC chainmail, HD 2 per cubic foot). It can be contacted by spells such as ESP or other forms of mental communication. If threatened it can create an electric shock for 2d8/cubic foot (save for half).

The stone is one of several concealing a portal to another plane, world or dimension. It takes 1-6 turns to clear enough of the wall to go through the portal.